A Shooting Star
by BananaLollypop
Summary: *ADOPTED FROM CobaltCereberus* Your life can change as quick as a shooting star can fly... When Merlin's in this situation, he's got a bit of a problem on his hands... DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story; not even the idea is mine XD If i DID own Merlin, it would become a weekly TV show, like Coronation Street, or Eastenders...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hi Everyone! This is my first shot at a Merlin fanfic :) This first chapter was originally written by CobaltCereberus, whom i adopted this story from :) I've tweaked it a teeny weeny bit, but other than that it's exactly the same. I'm in the process of writing chapter 2, so that will be my offical first chapter :) Enjoy!

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A shooting star. It's a symbol that has made kids believe in wish making for the longest time.

It can also show just how fast your life can change...

After the three seconds it takes for a shooting star to zoom across the night sky, you might have a completely different life. Or a completely different problem.

Except Merlin's life didn't change as fat as a falling star; it was changed _by_ one.

Before Merlin could even blink, he had a whole new problem on his hands. That problem was a little girl, who went by the name Lacus Filia Corona...

Let us backtrack a bit here. This whole mess started when Merlin, Camelot's very own secret sorcerer, headed off to one of his favorite spots. The lake. The lake that contained his one true love, Freya. Merlin visited the lake every now and then so that he could remind himself of her. One time, Merlin swore he saw Freya waltz out of the lake and hand him Excalibur, the sword that could kill the dead. Though Merlin isn't sure if he was just delusional or if the event truly took place, he still informed his old friend and guardian, Gaius, of the tale.

A few days later, Gaius had explained to Merlin something very important that might have occurred after Freya's death. Gaius had made the discovery that Freya continued to live on inside the lake. When Freya died near the edge of the lake, her spirit escaped her body. Now, floating freely without a body, Freya's spirit had to attach onto something to live. So, it attached itself to the lake. As of now, Freya's spirit is embodied in the lake and Freya became one with the water.

After making such a discovery, Gaius gave Freya the nickname of the Lady of the Lake. Merlin laughed at the name and doubted it would last long. But, the thought of this love living on inside the lake brought hope to the young wizard.

Ever since Merlin learned of Gaius' discovery, he has visited that lake nearly every week. Sometimes he talks to the lake, hoping the Freya can hear him, and other times he brings flowers or small gifts to the lake, just so Freya knows he still cares and that he never stopped loving her.

So, just like any other week, Merlin made his way down to the lake. He was carrying flowers with him this time as a gift to Freya. Once he reached the edge of the water, a chill ran down his spine. He was use to these visits, of course, but the thought of Freya being able to see him through the lake still made him shiver. He hoped all that Gaius said about Freya's spirit was true and that he wasn't wasting all his money on these flowers and other gifts for no reason.

Gently, the young warlock placed the flowers at the edge of the lake. The water slowly lapped at the delicate petals of the flowers and Merlin wondered if that was the same as Freya smelling the flowers. Shaking his head back into reality, Merlin began to speak to the lake. He spoke of all the things he did this week, how much he missed Freya and all the things he wished he could have done with her, he even spoke a little about his new magic abilities that he recently learned.

With every word Merlin said, he pictured Freya sitting there in front of him with her shy little smile as she listened intently to ever word that he said. As Merlin continued to speak he felt tears fill his eyes. This wasn't unusual, since Merlin always got emotional when he thought about Freya.

Quickly, the wizard turned himself around the face the opposite direction of the lake. He used the red cloth he tied around his neck to wipe away some of his tears. He always hated when he got like this in front of Freya. Even if Freya was just a lake, to Merlin, Freya will always be his true love and he had dedicated his heart to believing that she was in that lake. Merlin swiftly wiped the tears out of his eyes.

That's when it happened.

Before Merlin could turn back towards the lake, a loud boom filled his eardrums. The young wizard followed that sound and ended up looking straight up at the sky. No, he wasn't looking at the sky, for there was something blocking his view. Something that was getting bigger. And bigger. And bigger. And-

"OH GOSH!"

Merlin darted to the side and attempted to dodge the falling object. Sadly, though, Merlin wasn't quite fast enough and ended up getting whacked in the back.

The object that hit him was about half of Merlin's size, but it hit him with such great force that it nearly snapped his spine. Pain rushed throughout the wizard's body and he felt like he couldn't move. He was in such a deep pain that he didn't really comprehend that the object that hit him was grieving in pain as well. Once Merlin made this connection, he sprang upwards and launched the thing on his back to the dirt ground. Without hesitating, Merlin flipped himself around and prepared himself for what terrible thing he was about to see. It was…

A little girl?

It was a little girl. With dirty blond hair that reached down to her hips and a torn-up brown dress on. There was no doubt that what just nearly crushed Merlin was a little girl.

Feeling confused more than anything else, Merlin gently tapped the girl on the shoulder. She moaned, but didn't move. Merlin tapped her slightly hard. Once again, the girl moaned, but no movement was made.

"Hey, you, little girl," Merlin began to call, "Are you conscious? Can you hear me?"

Merlin began to tap the girl repeatedly on the shoulder, hoping she would wake up.

"I can hear you…," a young and soft voiced rang out, "and I wish I couldn't… Do you mind? I'm kind of lying down here…"

The young child continued to lie on the ground, as if in great pain. Merlin gave a blank stare and ceased with the shoulder-tapping. After Merlin recovered from his confusion, he gave a snarl and anger began to take confusion's place.

"Well I'm sorry for disturbing you nap, but you almost killed me!" Merlin shouted out, full of rage that the girl didn't seem to care about his pain.

"Wh-What?" The girl asked, sounding as confused as ever. She opened her eyes slowly, revealing the silver little coins that were her eyes.

"You heard me." Merlin stated, his anger lessoning now. "You nearly killed me! What were you doing anyway, falling out of the sky like that?!" Now that Merlin asked the question, he realized that it was quite unexplainable on why a little child would come crashing out of the sky.

"I… fell out of the sky?" The girl looked up above her, examining the sky. Her silver eyes scanned the blue stretching out above her as if it held all the answers.

"Yes, you did." Merlin answered bluntly, but his anger had completely subsided now. "Did you not realize that you were on a crash course for Earth?"

"… No. I was unaware. I didn't know I was falling."

"You... didn't? How could you not know you were falling?! What's the last thing you remember?"

"… I remember you yelling at me," the girl gave a small and nervous smile as she said this. She didn't remember a thing.

"Well, do you remember your own name?" Merlin asked, now back to his normal self.

"Uh… Yes! I do! I'm Lacus Filia Corona!" The girl jumped up to her feet as she said her name with such pride. She was about half the height of Merlin and couldn't be more than 12 years old.

"Well… Lacus… I'm Merlin." Merlin said shyly, not quite sure on what to say; he had never been in a situation quite like this before. Apparently, not knowing what to say was no longer a problem for Lacus because she jumped right on Merlin as soon as he finished talking.

"That's a great name! Nice to meet you, Merlin! By the way, could you not call me Lacus? I prefer to go by my middle name, Filia!"

"Oh, sorry. Filia… Why do you like going by your middle name?"

"Because my middle name is Filia and that could give me the nickname Filly and Filly is the best name ever!" Lacus- I mean, Filly- began to hop with joy as she stated this fact. She seemed really passionate about herself, and for some reason, Merlin had a strange feeling about this girl. Perhaps it's because she just fell from the sky and nearly killed him…

"Here," Merlin started, "Let's get you to Gaius and see if you got any bad injuries from that fall."

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**What did you think? Obviously not all my work, but I hoped you enjoyed it anyhow :) Leave a review if you wish, if not i hope you enjoyed reading this chapter :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I apologise for the obscenely long wait between updates. This is my first actual chapter on this story, so I wanted it to be perfect :P I don't own Merlin, blah blah blah, and I own NO characters in this except for a few random ones that I won't mention because it might ruin it XD Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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Filia fidgeted constantly as Gaius attempted to see if she had done any damage to herself during her dramatic and untimely arrival. She chatted constantly with Merlin, who, with time, was more than happy to chat back, though he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange about her.

After an hour of Filia wriggling and giggling, Gaius finally managed to confirm that, except for a few bruises, Filia was absolutely fine.

"Can we go exploring now?" she asked Merlin excitedly, "I want to see the whole of Camelot! I want to see the castle, and the market, and the stables, and the woods and..."

"Woah, hold on, Filly," Merlin said, "I have a job to go to. Arthur will kill me if I'm late again..." he watched as her face fell, and suddenly felt guilty.

"Well... I suppose you _could_ come... I could say you were my cousin...?" he said, looking at her and smiling as her face lit up. "As long," he continued, "As you _try_ and stay out of trouble and you tell Arthur nothing about falling out of the sky, got it?"

"Got it!" she said happily, jumping up from the chair she had been sitting on and rushing to the door.

"You know Merlin," Gaius said quietly, "You sounded a lot like me then..." he laughed at the look of utter horror on Merlin's face, pushing him towards Filly, who was standing impatiently at the door waiting for him.

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When they got to Arthur's door, Merlin stopped, looking down at Filly.

"Remember what I said," he said, "No telling Arthur about you know what, okay?" Filly nodded, and Merlin opened the door.

"Arthur..." he said awkwardly, seeing the prince already up and dressed, sitting at the table tapping his fingers on the surface expectantly.

"Ah, Merlin! How nice of you to finally join me! Did you have a nice lay-in? Hmm? Enjoy a nice breakfast?"

"Actually Arthur, I think there's someone you should meet," Merlin said smugly, "This is my cousin, Filia, but everyone calls her Filly. Filly, this is Prince Arthur. He's harmless... well, mostly."

"Hi!" Filly said, waving happily. There was something familiar about the prince, but Filly couldn't quite think of what it was. Had she met him before? She didn't think so. Heard of him perhaps?

Arthur sat there speechless for a moment, before standing up.

"Merlin," he growled, "A word?" Merlin glanced at Filly and raised his eyebrows, before following Arthur into the far corner of the room, leaving Filly looking around the room from the door.

"What are you doing bringing a little girl to work?!" Arthur asked in a harsh whisper, "You are here to do a _job_, Merlin, not babysit! I can't have you getting distracted!"

"Arthur, she's just going to sit there and watch, what's the worst that can happen?!"

"You know Merlin, every time someone says that something bad seems to happen..." Arthur muttered grumpily.

"Does that mean that she can say?" Merlin asked grinning.

"I don't know how you got that from that sentence... but yes, she can say. But ONLY today, understand? Tomorrow you can shove her off on Gaius or Gwen." Arthur said, before moving back over to Filly.

"It's very nice to meet you Filia," he said, even smiling. Filia smiled and nodded before Arthur turned to Merlin.

"Ah, Merlin," Arthur said, picking up a scroll from his desk, "Whilst waiting for you to arrive, I took the liberty of writing you a list of things to do today. I'd suggest you get started on it as soon as possible, there's, um... quite a bit on there." And with that, Arthur grabbed his jacket and walked out the room.

"I like Arthur, Merlin," Filly said happily, as Merlin unrolled the scroll. By the time he was finished reading, the list was scraping the floor.

"Well I'm glad _you _do..." Merlin muttered darkly, before grabbing Filly's hand and pulling her out of Arthur's chambers.

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"What's first on the list, Merlin?" Filly asked curiously as they wandered through the castle.

"I have to groom Arthur's horse, then tidy his room, then write his speech for the banquet..." Merlin sighed, "Today is going to be a long day..."

"Horses are scary..."

"Nah, horses are okay," Merlin assured her, "Arthur's horse is a big softie,"

"A very big, scary softie..." Filia muttered.

"Believe me, put Arthur's horse next to a dragon, he's a big softie," Merlin said. Filly rolled her eyes.

"All the dragons are gone now though. Aren't they?" Filly asked.

"Yeah, yeah, of course they are," Merlin assured her, but there was something in his voice that didn't quite sound completely truthful.

When they reached the stables, Filly kept as far away from the horses as possible, choosing the corner as far away from the horses' stalls and the door as possible.

"Filly, honestly, he's nothing to be scared of!" Merlin said, chuckling slightly, stroking the horse's neck.

"He is!" Filly insisted, "What if he... rears up or something? He'll flatten me without a second thought!"

Merlin rolled his eyes, "If you say so, Filly," he said dismissively, grabbing a fork and starting to shovel the hay from the corner of the stall Arthur's horse was in, into a wheelbarrow on the other side of the door.

"Merlin?" Filly said after a few minutes of silence, only broken by the noises the horses were making and Merlin working.

"Yes Filly?" he replied, taking a break and leaning against the door of the stall.

"Why does the King hate magic?" she asked. Merlin sighed.

"There was a sorceress called Nimueh," Merlin told her, "And she helped Uther's wife get pregnant with Arthur... but Arthur's mother died, and Nimueh just saw her as collateral damage. Ever since, he's thought magic was evil, no matter who used it, or what they did with it. Uther has sworn to execute anyone caught using magic in his kingdom." Filly's eyes widened.

"I'm just going to, er... go for a walk," she said, hastily leaving the stables.

"Filly?" Merlin called after her, completely confused, "Filly!"

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Filly ran off, making sure she was in the castle again before slowing down and thinking properly.

She had no idea why she had been so afraid of the fact Uther was against magic. Perhaps it was because she knew of the magical spells and objects her mother often used back home. However, her mother was far away from Camelot and there magic was allowed.

She stopped suddenly as a memory popped into her head.

_Filia was just six years old, walking through the village collecting herbs with her mother in the early afternoon. The sun was shining, and everyone was outside, tidying their gardens and the street that created an alley between the houses in the village. Her mother had completed said task hours ago, and they had spent the afternoon trying to improve Filly's magic, with little success. _

_Filly didn't understand the importance of the King's visit that would take place later on that afternoon. King Arhave's kingdom was one of great power, and negotiations between this kingdom and Camelot were important for everyone, not just the Kings themselves. And so, everyone was doing their best to help the kingdom, cleaning, tidying, and generally doing helpful things. _

"_Mother, why don't you just use magic to collect herbs like you normally do?" Filly had asked curiously. _

"_Because the King from Camelot will be here soon," her mother had told her. Filly frowned, confused. _

"_So?" She asked._

"_The King doesn't like magic," her mother said tersely, "He has had many sorcerers executed for using magic in his kingdom. So King Arhave won't thank us for messing up his negotiations by using magic, would he?"_

"'_spose not," Filly said quietly. Just as they reached the edge of the forest where the best herbs normally grew, when they heard the horses approaching. _

"_Is that him?!" Filly asked and her mother just nodded. As the horses came by, her mother bowed her head in respect at the King, who smiled kindly. He didn't look like someone who would kill someone just because of something they were born with. _

"_Good afternoon," he said politely._

"_Good afternoon, sire," Filly's mother replied, "Welcome Alerwen." _

"_Thank you," he said kindly, before looking at Filly, "Is this young one your daughter?"_

"_Yes, sire," Filly's mother said proudly._

"_Hello," Filly said shyly._

"_And what would your name be?" the king asked. _

"_Filia," she replied, a little more confident now. _

"_Well, it's very nice to meet you Filia," the king said. He looked as if he was going to continue the conversation, before being interrupted by a boy, no older than fifteen came riding up next to him. _

"_Father, the guard says we need to leave now if we are to get to the castle on time."_

"_Of course, thank you Arthur," the king nodded, "If you'll excuse me..."_

"_Of course, sire," Filly's mother said, curtseying as the king kicked his horse back into movement. _

"_He didn't _seem_ mean, mother," Filly said, looking up at her mother looking confused. _

"_They never do, Filly," her mother muttered. _

This memory reminded her that this was not just any old kingdom; this was Camelot. She was the daughter of a sorceress who had literally crash-landed into Camelot. Crash-landed with no memory of how she even got into the crash-landing situation in the first place. It also reminded her of how familiar Arthur had looked earlier. She _had_ met him before. Almost six years ago now, but he still looked almost exactly the same, albeit taller, and not on a horse.

Whilst occupied with thinking these thoughts, Filly forgot that she should be looking where she was going, and so almost went flying when she bumped into a person walking in the opposite direction to her. Said person managed to grab her arm before she hit the ground, and only then did Filly look up.

She gasped, recognising the person in front of her, "Sire, I am so, _so_ sorry!" she said frantically, looking up at the King.

"It's fine, I was in a world of my own," he said chuckling. Only then did he look at her closely. "I've met you before, have I not?" he asked. Filly tensed for a second, before remembering that the King knew nothing of her actual life; he had no idea that she had ever even heard of magic.

"Yes, sire," she said, trying to look and sound calmer than she actually felt, "It was a while ago now though. You came through my village to get to Arhave's castle."

"Ah, yes, I remember now," he said smiling thoughtfully, "You were there with your mother."

"Yes, sire," Filly confirmed.

"Your name is Filia, is it not?" the king asked. Filly was surprised.

"Yes, it is," she said, "Though I don't know how you remembered..."

"That was a trip I will never forget," Uther said, "I'd be surprised if I couldn't remember every detail."

"No one in the villages found out what happened that day," Filly commented.

"No, I'm sure they didn't," Uther muttered, "I'm not sure it was something Christopher would have wanted to spread around when he took the throne... Well, I must get back. It was nice seeing you again, Filia; I've often thought about you."

"Of course, sire," Filly replied, curtseying, "Don't let me keep you from important matters of state." And with that, the King walked away, looking deep in thought.

Filly once again thought back to the days after she had met the King. No one had emerged from the castle, not even for water, since the day the King and his son had arrived. Five days later, the party from Camelot left in the early hours of the morning, only being seen by a few of the village people. Filly had woken later that morning to an empty house; she had wandered around for almost half an hour before finally finding her mother very distressed talking to one of the other people living in the village.

No one saw King Arhave ever again. His son, Christopher, took the throne, and went on to marry a princess from another kingdom. Within three years, they had two children, and the visit from the King of Camelot was like a taboo; no one spoke of it.

Filly frowned as she continued wandering the castle, trying to piece together the few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle she had, with little result.

She sighed as she leant against a door, her head knocking against it softly as she did so. What she was not expecting however, was for the door to be wrenched open with such force that she fell against the person in the doorway. The person jumped backwards, leaping out of the doorway and sprinting down the corridor, causing Filly to fall to the floor. She looked up bemusedly, rubbing her head where it had connected with the concrete, staring at the person racing away as the warning bells started ringing.

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**Mm hmm. Bit of a cliffhanger there :3 I know, I'm evil XD Anyway, what did you think? I'd LOVE (times 1000000000000- try saying that number 10 times fast XD) some feedback on this chapter! I'll try to update as soon as possible (but I AM a slow writer :P :3) So please please please with sugar and cherries and ice cream on top review, and thank you for reading ^-^**


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